Heading into Week 4, college football's top tier is starting to settle into place. Expected contenders like Texas A&M and Oklahoma are on the way out, while Ole Miss and USC can prove themselves with big wins this upcoming Saturday. At the top of the weekend is a heavyweight battle in the Group of Six between two teams that nearly pulled major upsets against Big Ten foes.
The winner takes control of the non-power race. There are plenty of other prove-it games between postseason hopefuls, especially as the SEC tries to work itself out. Here are six games in Week 4 with major College Football Playoff and conference championship implications.
Both Western Michigan and Boise State have played electric nonconference slates to this point, and each nearly pulled an upset over a major-ranked Big Ten foe (and WMU did win). And now, the driver's seat of the Group of Six CFP race is on the line in Kalamazoo. The Broncos of Kalamazoo have emerged as the class of the MAC in recent years after a wave of investment under coach Lance Taylor.
The program was able to keep a decent amount of the roster together despite poachers. The Idaho-based Broncos laid the model for many such programs with their retention of Ashton Jeanty. Plenty of other players on the roster are back and ready.
Boise State is a seven-point favorite heading into the matchup, but that just sets up perfectly for Western Michigan to spoil the party. The loser of this game is all but eliminated from playoff contention. Big Ten championship implications are on the line in Los Angeles as USC tries to break through against the Ducks.
A few bad performances for Oregon are forgivable, but this is the moment when the program has to quickly elevate to a national caliber. A second loss would be devastating with a road trip to No. 1 Ohio State left on the schedule. USC experienced a reset under Lincoln Riley, and now prepares to take the first steps back towards contention.
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